Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-05
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
You have bought some clothing online and are not satisfied with your purchase.
Write a letter to the company that you bought the clothing from. In your email:
- give details of the purchase
- describe the problem
- explain why you need a replacement urgently
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Dear Mr. Smith,
I am expressing my dissatisfaction with the product I received from your firm in this letter.
On the 23rd of July I had placed an order from your websites, but, unfortunately, the item that need to come was t-shirt with considerable size. Therefore, everything was going perfectly fine.
However, when it arrived at my house, I was literally surprised on regarding that particular thing. Because the delivered product had different size comparatively to the one I ordered. In addition, the tag was not removed it.
It is my humble request to your team to change the item, while providing me with appropriate size. Undoubtedly, this do help for me as well as to manage reputation of your company as well. As a result, please try to solve this before this week.
I hope you understand my thoughts without any issues on it, and I am looking forward to your prompt response.
Yours faithfully,
Dhaval Thakkar
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points: purchase details, the problem, and the need for an urgent replacement. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. The explanation of why the replacement is needed urgently is vague ('this do help for me'), lacking a specific reason such as an upcoming event or a gift deadline. The tone is generally appropriate for a formal letter, although the opening salutation 'Dear Mr. Smith' contradicts the prompt's instruction to begin with 'Dear Sir or Madam'. Overall, the response covers the requirements but lacks the depth of detail expected for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the narrative. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'However', 'In addition', and 'As a result', though some are used mechanically or incorrectly, such as 'Therefore, everything was going perfectly fine', which does not logically follow the previous sentence. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the transition between the problem description and the request for a replacement is slightly abrupt. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body, and conclusion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'considerable size' (likely meaning 'wrong size') and 'literally surprised on regarding that particular thing'. The phrase 'manage reputation of your company' is also slightly unnatural. While the student attempts to use formal language, the lack of control over word choice and collocation limits the score. The range is sufficient to convey the message, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility or precision required for a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the item that need to come was t-shirt' (missing articles and subject-verb agreement), 'the tag was not removed it' (redundant pronoun), and 'this do help for me' (incorrect verb form). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is often clunky. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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